Sunday, February 03, 2008

In the Moscow Times, Georgy Bovt exposes Dimitri Medvedev, the cowardly fraud. Wouldn't a real Russian patriot, a real man, want to explain himself to the country, to put it's doubts at ease? Is it that he simply doesn't care about the country, like all Russian rulers, or is it that he's simply too afraid of humiliating himself by speaking? Or is he Putin's lapdog, obediently shutting up when told?

As a presidential candidate, what values and ideas does First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stand for? According to the latest VTsIOM survey, with only five weeks remaining until the March 8 presidential election, 65 percent of the people still have no idea. And considering that Medvedev's victory was a foregone conclusion from the moment President Vladimir Putin chose him as his successor, I think the word vybory, which means "elections" and, in the singular, "choice," has little relevance to what will take place on March 8. Instead, the word golosovaniye, which means "voting," is a better word to describe the presidential election.

It was no surprise that former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov would not be allowed to register his name on the ballot, and this was clear even before he started to collect his "forged" signatures. Similarly, before presidential candidate Andrei Bogdanov had a single one of his "legitimate" signatures on paper, it was also clear that the Kremlin would allow him to run. Now it will be interesting to see if the two million people who signed his petition to register will actually vote for him.

Of course, the outcome of the presidential election was determined long before it began. The electorate has been left almost entirely in the dark as to the future president's political agenda. And since Medvedev hasn't debated a single rival, he has been able to avoid any difficult or uncomfortable questions -- including, "What the heck is your platform?"

Medvedev's meetings with journalists are meticulously orchestrated beforehand so that he is fed only easy and convenient questions. To have such a cakewalk for an election campaign is the ideal situation for any candidate looking for a guaranteed victory.

Heavily edited news coverage is virtually the only source of information about Medvedev that is available to voters. According to the latest Levada Center poll, the number of voters inclined to choose Medvedev in the election now stands at 82 percent of the electorate, which represents an even higher rating than Putin enjoys.

What a great deal for Medvedev, it would seem. He has a record level of support without having to develop a political program. But, in reality, he has four main problems that will become serious issues for him after he wins the election.

The first is that, as president, the public will at some point demand that he concretely define his positions on a range of issues.

The second problem is that Medvedev has a softer, more intellectual and less macho image than Putin. This is a liability in the minds of many Russians, who prefer the tough-talking style of a strong-armed leader, or even a dictator.

The third problem is that Medvedev will have to get his on-the-job presidential training with Putin close by as prime minister. The duo will have to coordinate all of their actions by agreeing beforehand who will make which statements and by preassigning their roles in a range of situations. This may be tricky for the Medvedev-Putin pair to pull off because Russians are not accustomed to this kind of power sharing in the Kremlin. On the rare occasions when the country was ruled by dual leaders, these arrangements were always shaky.

Finally, Medvedev's current high popularity may prove too much of a good thing. It could become a potential source of conflict with Putin when he will want the presidential chair back in 2012.

But the one problem that stands above all others is that nobody -- perhaps including Putin himself -- knows Medvedev's political agenda. And this could come back to haunt Putin because, in this swamp of ambiguity, Medvedev as president will have an opportunity to develop a new political strategy that could catch Putin completely off guard.

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PUTIN MUST FREE THE NEMTSOV WHITE PAPER!

That craven coward Vladimir Putin is censoring the brilliant, courageous and patriotic research of former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov reviewing Putin's record in office. We demand this outrage cease immediately. Read the paper in English PDF here. The HTML version (can be cut and pasted) is here.

Tell All the Truth

Tell all the truth but tell it slant,Success in circuit lies:Too bright for our infirm delightThe truth's superb surprise.

As lightning to the children easedWith explanation kind,The truth must dazzle graduallyOr every man be blind.

-- Emily Dickinson

Alone

From childhood's hour I have not beenAs others were, I have not seenAs others saw, I could not bringMy passions from the common spring.From the same source I have not takenMy sorrow, I could not awakenMy heart to joy at the same tone,And all I loved, I loved alone.Then in my childhood, in the dawnOf a most stormy life was drawnFrom every depth of good and illThe mystery which binds me still:From the torrent, and the fountain,From the red cliff of the mountain,From the sun that 'round me rolledIn its autumn tint of gold;From the lightning in the sky,As it passed me, flying by,From the thunder, and the storm,And the cloud that took the form(When the rest of Heaven was blue)Of a demon in my view.

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Girl Power: Ginger Rogers could do everything Fred Astaire could do . . . backwards, and in high heels.

Pioneer Power: Though he painted more than 1,000 works of art in his lifetime, Vincent Van Gogh sold only two.

Mark Twain: "It's a man with very little imagination who can only spell a word one way."

Socrates: "To be is to do." Sartre: "To do is to be." Sinatra: "Do be do be do."

Girl Power: On May 14, 2006, a perfect game was pitched in the Oakfield, New York Little League. Perfect as in 18 consecutive strikeouts. The pitcher's name? Katie Brownell. She's the only female player in the league.

Girl Power: On April 13, 2007, the Independent reported that women will soon be able to produce sperm cells from their bone marrow, making men obsolete.